HOW MUCH DO STATISTICS REVEAL?

Please see this table and compare great modern day batsmen. These are batsmen who are either still playing or retired within the past 5 years, and average 50 or more and have played 75+ Tests.

The first table explores how each batsmen did vs each Test team and how much they averaged in each country. These stats are separated by “/”. The next table explores players’ averages in all innings of a match which provides an insight into who played better whilst chasing or when the pitch had deteriorated, or had become more conducive to spin. It also shows average in won, lost and drawn matches, averages at home or away, the number of innings played and most importantly, scores of 100 and 50 that led to victory for their teams expressed as a percentage of total innings played. Although we will discuss this in more detail below it is startling to know that Lara has the poorest record in this regard.

I would like you all to offer your thoughts and I hope Bichoo, Pawan, 420 and the others can also contribute with their views. Stats have been noted from Cricinfo.

players vote on what they see and feel – instinct! inzimam spotted by imran or wasim is an example.

public- bloggers like us who base their views on what they see and favorites.

statsmen- they have to compile academic research. they just cant make a statement like above two. for example, immi would say inzi better than graem hick as hick had a super first class record. they have to back their statements with numbers. Anyway good research on your part. let me tell you, its just the tip of thev iceberg.

your study is about modern day cricket centering around last ten years. pitches in WI have become batsmen friendly. lara got 400 in WI. batsmen who are not from sub continent struggle on spinning tracks on 4-5 day. so thats the reason.

you know javed miandad is very under rated. like i said hes one of two batsmen who averaged above 50 in entire career- no small thing. he played against lillee, thompson, garner, marshall, roberts, holding, hadlee, ambrose, botham etc..

how many quality pacemen you had in last 5 years.

reight now steyn is considered to be only genuine fast bowler in test ckt.

thats why I dont get too imp[ressed with modern batsmen- sentiment echoed by many palyers.

Incidentally Lara’s 375 and 400* both scored against England and both scored on the same ground, Antigua Recreation Ground St. John’s. I don’t think there is any other batsman who scored a triple century more than twice and they are Don, Lara, Gayle and Sehwag.

I still rate Hanif Mohammad’s triple hundred as the best triple hundred because he scored in the team’s second innings or, the third innings of the match. No one has scored a tiple in the 4th innings of the match.

And, yes Miandad is a very under-rated player and also heavily criticized by Goras and Indians (I heard some Indians calling him a rickshaw wala), he would have been in the list of 24 had, Imran Payee Jaan not declared the innings. Inzzi nay Aidhee aur Darhee ka zore laga ker bhee Miandad ka record nahee tora.

According to Ishwar, Parmeshwar Tendulkar, stats are only numbers ! (But, they are still very important for him)

You mentioned about the word, “Mohajir” and correctly said that everyone is a mohajir.

The Urdu Speakers I have met claim that they don’t want to be called this word. The non Urdu Speakers claim that Urdu Speakers want to be called this word. Once someone asked some MQM guy why they used to be called Mohajir Qaumi Movement. He said this was because they are considered as immigrants and not as citizens whereas the Punjabis who came from Indian Punjab and others who came from other areas are not called immigrants. So, it was more like a cynical or “protest” title of their organisation.

Why would anyone want to be called a “Mohajir” anyway? People who come to the UK and USA on work permit don’t like to be called “immigrants” and these Urdu Speakers who went to Pakistan due to the belief that it will be their country would want to be called a mohajir?

As for my usage of the word, “Mohajir”, it is simply because it takes less time to type “Urdu Speaker”. I mean no offence at all and in fact I see it as a derogatory term.

It used to be a pleasure to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat; the shots that flowed as he took the attack to the bowlers, constantly challenging them to maintain line and length under fire. At the moment it’s painful to see him prod and poke as he seeks to eke out his 100th century.

Whereas he took the attack to a top-class legspinner, Shane Warne, and won the battle of Chennai in 1998, he fiddled with a trundler like Marlon Samuels and the steady Devendra Bishoo at Eden Gardens, while Rahul Dravid comparatively burned along at the other end.

In his prime those two West Indies spinners wouldn’t have been able to contain Tendulkar. He wouldn’t have allowed either a minute’s peace with his quick footwork, and more importantly, his attitude that said no bowler would shackle him.

It wasn’t just Warne; he challenged all the best bowlers. He especially enjoyed antagonising the metronomic magician Glenn McGrath. On occasions he deliberately provoked him into bowling aggressively, a frame of mind from which McGrath derived the least success. So why is Tendulkar suddenly allowing a trundler to tie him down?

It was quite revealing to read the other day that Tendulkar felt he couldn’t forego a practice session to rest because the adoring Indian public would blame any failure on indifference. He has always appealed as an attention-to-detail person when it came to batting, but I could never understand his desire to hit so many meaningless balls in the nets. Most of the class players I’ve seen practised diligently but never excessively.

This was always a major point of difference between the two top batsmen of their time – Brian Lara and Tendulkar. Lara cared about his batting and thought very deeply about the process of making big scores quickly but he wasn’t obsessed with practising his skills. He was able to enjoy his life away from the field, whereas Tendulkar, again, probably not wanting to give a demanding public a reason to criticise him for letting them down, has lived the life of a monk.

It’s difficult to say how much a demanding and clamouring public has affected Tendulkar’s batting over the years. However, there’s no doubt that on occasions he has sacrificed personal satisfaction for clinical success.

One of the more incredible aspects of Lara’s successful career was the way he batted in the same manner throughout. This is quite remarkable, as even the best batsmen tend to become more conservative as they age. Lara, by living a relaxed lifestyle and employing a strong will, was able to almost defy Father Time.

Despite external and extraneous pressures there’s no doubt the hunt for 100 hundreds has contributed to Tendulkar’s recent conservative play. This isn’t the first time statistics have got the better of him. Watching him bat in England in 2007, where he was dismissed four times as he neared a century, it was obvious the thought of accumulating another three-figure score had brought on a bout of caution. Tendulkar is not at his best when he’s playing with extreme caution; his body language betrays him and this acts as a spur to opposition bowlers and captains.

He showed just recently that he could shed the conservative approach and return to being the plunderer of his youth. A blazing 175 against Australia, and scoring even faster to register the first-ever double-century in an ODI, turning back the clock and batting like a youthful Tendulkar. His scintillating strokeplay on those occasions indicates he can still dictate to any attack when the mood strikes him. Unfortunately this frame of mind hasn’t surfaced recently in the Test arena.

It’s hard to not wonder how much of the conservative approach is Tendulkar’s desperation to record the milestone century for his own satisfaction, and what portion is to please his fans. Just for once Tendulkar should try forgetting his fans and play in his preferred style. That’s not only his best chance of completing the celebrated century but also the way to please everyone.

Chappell I think has been fair in this article. He praises SRT for his performance against top bowlers and also labels him as the best batsman of his time along with Lara. But he criticises him for the nervous 90s syndrome and his inability to handle the pressure the Indian public has exerted on him.

But, if you read the comments on Cricinfo most Indians are criticising Chappell for being unfair to SRT whilst he should be criticising Ponting instead. This is just small mindedness and immature thinking.

tendakiller says its just a stat and hes not focussing on it. Indians and his fans like you want him to get that senkdra. If its not the senkdra, then why hes blocking new talent. Whats the point in continuing if u r not performing?

Play ODI and continue in that arena where he’s still scoring. This is conceitedness and selfishness.

Well, the public want him to get that 100. If not in ODI then in Test but they also want him to get it asap.

If his poor form is due to this 100th century pressure will it leave him once he gets the 100?

If it does leave him then he will start scoring again so why should he retire?

I am agreeing with you that he should retire from Test and focus on getting the milestone in ODI, but I am providing the opposing point of view.

Neither Ponting nor Kallis will be able to break his records, so he is not under any threat from them. The only player who might come close to his records from the young generation of players is Kohli who is 23 and has 7 ODI centuries.

I have just realised something which I don’t think has been mentioned before.

Why do Indians care so much about SRT making 100s but don’t care so much about how he handles pressure or how many of his 100s result in team victories?

If you look at the Pakistani context, Afridi is always criticised for not batting responsibly. But, most cricket fans and this includes women and children only like him because of his crazy batting. They want him to score the fastest century in every match and hit a sixer regardless of match situation or type of delivery. In Pakistan most people only come to the stadium to watch him bat.

In the same way SRT is also expected to score a century in every match. The normal cricket fan does not care about what the match situation is. In the 1990s when India was an average team, they were probably used to watching India lose to teams like Pakistan or Sri Lanka. But, the only thing remarkable from that period when SRT making 100s regularly and this has somehow come to to symbolise modern day Indian cricket.

As you are aware most people do not know so much about cricket in depth and they look at records to determine who is the best batsman, bowler, team etc.

I think he has received so much appreciation for making 100s that he has never been expected to bat like Dravid or Laxman.
Think about which is the most important and respected milestone in a cricket match? It is not a 5 wicket haul, or the number of sixes a batsman hits, or the number of catches a fielder takes. It is making a century because that is what gets you the standing ovation. If batsmen score well and get out, they do get applause but it is not as grand or monumental as the ovation you get when you reach 100.

Now do you see why adore him? I personally don’t care about 100s but how a batsman handles a bowler- how he times the ball, how he finds gaps, how he creates shots etc.

ISLAMABAD: Former president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Ehsan Mani, said on Saturday that foreign teams are still reluctant to play in Pakistan due to the precarious security situation in the country.

Pakistan has failed to attract any top-level cricketing nation since an armed attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009.

After the attack, no cricketing nation has so far expressed willingness to visit Pakistan due to which the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has faced massive financial loss.
“One of the Australian diplomats in Islamabad told me in a recent meeting that they are not willing to advise their team to travel to Pakistan because there is no improvement in security situation,” Mani told Dawn.

Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998.

Comments of the former ICC president came at a time when the newly-inducted PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf is in Dubai, meeting ICC officials to get approval from the game’s governing body for holding international events in Pakistan.

“Two years of calmness in the country will definitely open doors for international cricket in Pakistan,” Mani hoped.

Commenting over the appointment of the new PCB chief, he said: “Zaka will find it difficult to handle the PCB successfully.”

With regard to the banned players in England, Mani said: “I asked the chief operating officer of the PCB, Subhan Ahmed, the very same day when the Scotland Yard searched their rooms, to suspend the players and launch an inquiry.”

“I could not talk to then PCB chairman Ijaz Butt despite my attempts to contact him in England,” the former ICC chairman added.

Mani said had the PCB listened to his advice, the situation would have been different and none of the players would have gone through this turmoil.

“Pakistan cricket is on the decline and this makes me worried. The only way forward is better management by the PCB,” the ex-ICC chief said.

See how much you value this knock. Its not a crash bang 15 ball. Its a 65 ball 65.(havent ckd the scr,frm ur cmnt found hes gone). This is what batsmanship is about. Its good to entertain the crowd but ultimatly quality knocks like these are valued more by crowd and team. Same is with SRT. Why lara’s certain knocks r rememberd. Coz they were playd whn team was in dire straits. Thats why i disagree wth ur point abt 4 and 6’s knocks being better than pressure inngs. I hope afridi plays more knocks like these.

I don’t know whether your comment about “4’s and 6’s knocks being better than pressure innings” is related to my comment about the crowd liking Afridi for his aggressive knocks or my comment that I don’t care about whether the milestone of 100 is reached, but the shot creation, gap discovery etc is more important.

I can respond to this once you tell me which type of knock you were referring to? Thanks

its both. In the final analysis, its all about fatah or shikast.not only ckt, but even in othr sports ive seen mentally tough players overshadow highly talented players.

Just think abt it, he could have played a similar knock in WC semi. A 35 ball 40 was enough, but he holed to bhajji.
Whats diffrnt 2day, same player but mentally composed. SRT in my view is more talented but he’s not the mentally toughest and KS this is his achilles heel.

good moaning guys …. :D I woke up late and after breakfast read your comments and the score card. So, Pakistan could not even play this match for full 50 overs and if you substract Afridi’s score from the total it would be only 125 i.e., not acceptable even for a T20 match. Generally Afridi gets out cheaply so this is just a bonus from him for Pakistan. This is what people want to see from him. This was not just big hitting but, it was a pressure innings that he played with Saeed Ajmal as his partner.

What I don’t understand is why Sania Malak is given chances? Its been AGES since he has done anything significant besides being a ball boy for Shoaib Mirza. Once again it is pathetic display by Misbah, he is now showing what he is capable of. And, Munna Kakhmal, he is still carrying that chip on his shoulder that he got in the previous match and that is enough for him.

khansahab, 200 is defendable provided the bowling as well as fielding is excellent, but imo this match is in SL’s pocket and they want to make the Abu Dhabi match a decider to create ‘ex-sit-met’ for the bookies to bet big amounts.

khansahab, you are making me laugh on a lazy Sunday morning, thank you for that bakaoz its a bit cold, dark, cloudy, gloomy and drizzling with 2 degrees C temp. So smiles and laughs are rare when this kinda weather persists.

I think Kohli is just a player like Younus Khan, Yousuf etc., he cannot and he will not be able to break Tendulkar’s records not even anywhere near him for sure. When Tendulkar scored his 44 th test century Ponting was on his 39th but, he got out twice in a row in his 90’s, had he done that he would have been @ 41, so there was some hope that he might catch Tendulkar soon, but he is still stuck at 39. Whereas, Tendulkar raced from 44 to 51 and now he is stuck with 48 in ODI. I agree with you guys that he should retire from test cricket and focus on ODI and complete his NISF centuries century and get over with that 100 ka saikda.

tom what else do you expect from the ESPN, cricinfo Indian controlled mafia? They always come up with weird questions, ideas and comments which at times are very sinister and still they publish them whereas, if you, khansahab or I if we write they will simply ignore and delete our comments.

I heard someone (not on any blog) saying: Khaja pia while referring to that Indian song, Aaaja pia…… and Tahir mia.

i heard certain people even tried to procure ashkarlya’s ultrasound report which led jaya bachan to prompt that they may go overseas for child’s delivery. this is nafsiati pan- madness embedded at national level.

so how the girl will be treated?as a godess or a future filmi adakaara

I dunno what to say here. Cheema gave away 24 runs out of the total of 27 in his 2 overs and got one wicket, it is too much for a low scoring match. The question is: will the captain continue with him or, make a bowling change? I would change him because of his wayward bowling at the moment. Dilshan just scored 2 more 4’s and Cheema’s second over cost him 13 runs, too expensive.

About Indian sending list of names you are calling it madness, I remember when the soap opera DALLAS was being aired and some characters were plotting to kill JR, Americans were writing thousands of letters to JR warning him that so and so is plotting to kill you. LOL idher bhee baray baray Ch2yum Sulphates hain.

Aizaz Cheema to Sangakkara, FOUR, edged between keeper and slip! Why on earth is Misbah economising on his slip fielders? He got away with it once when Taranga edged to Younis, but Sanga finds the gap perfectly. Length ball on middle and leg, angling away at pace, gets the edge at a nice catchable height … There’s little more the bowler can do.

Pakis sirf tharki nahee balkay hypo-tharki hain, yani sath may hypocrites bhee hain, they curse Indians at the political platform and say “I hate Indians” and then they are the first ones to go and watch a new Indian movie in the theatre on the first day. You go to their house, the whole family is watching Indian TV dramay on giant plasma suckreen. The irony is, if you invite them for a dinner at 7:30, they come to your house at 9:00 pm and they even have the audacity to tell you “yaar, vo TV per Indian drama dekh reha thaa..”

I guess the lady luck is still with MIsbah….I am also worried about the lankans decline their bowling has become weak once murali left no one has taken a lead role..what will happen once Sanga and Mahela will retire…

Yar this is a surprise for me that PK won the match??? I thought SL will win especially when AcchaKara and Jeye Warden were cruising and limping Afridi gone back into the dressing room. This is a great comeback from Afridi to perform with the bat and the ball. He is the only player in the world now to take 5 wickets and score 50 plus in one innings TWICE. He is again POM and he should be the POS also for getting this award twice. Still his haters hate him even more and they try to keep him out of the team, salay BC hain saray jo Malak aur Misbah ko khilatay hain team may and wants to keep their best player out. Missy Baba Dhani Raam kay ghar paida hoi thee, jo muft may batashay kha rehi hai.

I have said this before kay Sri Lankan team is suffering from PMS (Post Murali Syndrome) and when Sangakara and Jayawardene will retire, this team will be the same as it used to be in the 80’s and early 90’s. So many times against Imran’s team they lost like 6 – 7 wickets within the last few overs and scored only 20 or less runs. There was a time Lara’s team was also like this 170 for 2 and 196 all out.

I am sure the Indian Hindus must be proud now, because they have been raving and ranting about it since ages and now the world renowned scientists are saying, we have found it, we have discovered it. So, please take a look at it.

A brave girl from Pakistan, who as an 11-year-old wrote about the Taliban banning girls’ schools in the picturesque Swat Valley and missing watching her favourite Indian serial ‘Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat’, has been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize.

Malala Yousufzai, now 13, was a victim of the ban imposed by the Taliban on education for girls in the troubled Swat Valley over two years ago. She wrote about her pain and anguish in a diary for BBC Urdu online.

Yousufzai, a Class 8 student, beat 93 contestants from 42 countries to be nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2011. The prize is due to be announced today and if she wins, she will be given the award by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu.

“I am very happy to be nominated along with four other brave girls. I am particularly inspired by Michaela who, despite her physical disability, fights for the rights of children with disabilities,” Yousufzai told the media.

Her classmates described her as a go-getter who usually bagged the first position in tests and led others in extra- curricular activities.

Yousufzai said her nomination for the prize had “doubled her courage” as her cause is of great importance.

“Irrespective of whether I win the prize, I will continue my struggle. I hope to set up a vocational institute for the marginalised girls of this area so they can stand on their feet in the future.”

Dhaka, Nov 20– Foreign minister Dipu Moni has sought formal apology from Pakistan for the genocide and atrocities committed by its military in 1971.

She also called for Pakistan’s understanding and recognition of Bangladesh’s position on resolving outstanding issues, including repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, division of assets and war reparations.

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis feels Shahid Afridi’s superb performance in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka is a result of the renewed focus that the all-rounder has shown since coming out of a temporary retirement.

Afridi turned in a fantastic all-round show in the fourth one-dayer in Sharjah on Sunday scoring 75 runs under pressure and then taking five wickets to give his team an unexpected victory.

The differences between Waqar, when he was coach of the national team, and Afridi, when he was captain of the one-day side, are well documented and continued even after both had exited the team.

Just after Afridi was recalled to the national team for the one-day series in UAE, Waqar had advised the all-rounder to shut his mouth and focus on cricket instead of criticising everyone and seeking cheap publicity in the media.

Afridi silenced his critics with his brilliant all-round show which Waqar said was the result of his newfound focus on his performances.

“He has always been an exceptionally talented player but has not done justice to his talent but in this series, he appears focused and wants to prove a point and that is why he is succeeding,” Waqar said after the match.

Imran Farhat has been included in the Test squad for the upcoming series vs Bangladesh.

What a joke.

He shouldn’t be playing int’l cricket but to some extent I can understand why he may be included in ODI and T20. But, in Tests there is a huge price on every batsman’s wicket and this is absolutely disgraceful.

Wahab Riaz is not included and Mohd Talha is playing in his position. This is due to Riaz’s alleged involvement in match fixing and not due to his form.

Even though the loss of Murali has dented the SL team, they are still much better than this. Dilshan has had a good couple of years as a batsman and primarily it is his batting form that has been their biggest disappointment.

Tharanga was never very consistent but in this series he has been disastrous. He has been their best opener after Jayasuria left but he has failed to make any substantial score.

Their bowling is just dependent on Malinga and even he is not very consistent.

We worry about Pakistan cricket but Pakistan has a huge supply of talented cricketers. You get a Cheema now and then who can take 2 wickets consistently and you get players like U Akmal and Shafiq who make 30s consistently and occasionally make 50. But SL don’t seem to have this talent.

I was disappointed to learn that Ponting averages under 30 in India but after realising what a match winning role he has played for Australia (courtesy of my recent tabular research) I am convinced he is one of the best batsmen of all time.

Due to the presence of other great batsmen and great bowlers, Australia just won many more matches than other teams. So, doing very well in a team which is very likely to win even without your contribution is lesser than doing well in a team which probably will not win without your cooperation.

This is why arguably Inzamam, Sangakkara etc are superior match winners. In fact here I will even praise Dravid, SRT and Sehwag because, India’s bowling hardly ever made a mark so the batsmen had to perform outstandingly almost all the time.

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja feels the country’s cricketers are trying hard to regain their credibility that has been shaken by the spot-fixing scandal by trying hard to win each and every match they play.

Former coach Waqar Younis and Rameez agreed that Pakistan’s one-day series win over Sri Lanka and its fighting performance on Sunday in the fourth match was important after the damage caused by the spot-fixing scandal.

“I think after the damage done by the spot-fixing issue and the turbulent times and trials that Pakistan cricket has been through the players themselves want to just win every match to regain their credibility as a team and to win back the confidence of their supporters and cricket fans all over the world,” Rameez said.

He said the winning streak is a very positive development for Pakistan cricket which needed to do well to get back on track. Rameez also credited good captaincy from Misbah-ul-Haq for the turnaround in fortunes.

Waqar, who remained Pakistan’s head coach until the Zimbabwe tour in September after which he stepped down on personal and health grounds, agreed with Rameez.

Both the former captains were speaking in a post-match session after Pakistan clinched the fourth one-dayer to take a unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Waqar, who played an influential role in Pakistan’s rise as a team since last year, said Misbah deserved a lot of credit for the consistent performances of the team.

“He is calm, calculated and disciplined and has led the side well. The players have responded to his style of captaincy in the last six months,” the former fast bowler said.

“It is good they are taking it one match at a time instead of focusing on long term goals. This approach has worked for them and now one can see this team is on a roll with a good bowling attack,” he said.

Sharjah: Shahid Afridi has always been the Sharjah Cricket Stadium fans’ favourite player. Whenever he is in action in Sharjah, commuters face a shortage of taxis in this emirate. With most cab drivers being Pathans, they make sure to be present at the stadium to cheer their man.

Afridi rewarded their eight-year-long wait on Sunday with an all-round performance — 75 runs and a five-wicket haul — they will remember forever.

Ever since Afridi introduced his trademark arms-aloft style of celebrating his wickets, they haven’t got to see him live. In fact, with Afridi announcing his retirement, they even feared that they would never see him again.

On Sunday he showed he is still in top form and how great a loss it would have been for Pakistan had he hung up his boots. “I am feeling great and I feel all the more happy because Pakistan won the match,” he remarked after the match.

Afridi admitted that he had arrived in UAE with the aim of proving his worth. “I had a point to prove and actions always speak louder than words. There were a lot of challenges and there were a lot of things that I had to prove wrong about me,” said Afridi who had announced his retirement following differences with his cricket board.

“I know there are a lot of expectations from me and I too understand how my batting could help the team. I am acting exactly according to the demand as I made my comeback with an aim and a goal. Now I want to play cricket and nothing else, and focus on my game.”

Talking about his innings that lifted Pakistan from a batting collapse, Afridi said: “I got the message from my skipper that I should carry on and play the full [50] overs. He informed that if we can score around 225 runs it will be very good on this pitch.”

Afridi’s 75 runs contained four boundaries and three sixes. “I tried my best at my end and Saeed Ajmal too did a great job,” he said.

“I don’t know what their (Sri Lankan selectors) views are but I was appointed captain until the South Africa series so I didn’t think (about being sacked) but after the South Africa tour let’s see how it goes from there,” said Dilshan.

Sri Lanka play three Tests and five one-day matches on the tour of South Africa and many believe Dilshan could lose his job.

“As a captain I can’t do anything to change the players’ game. As a team unit we have to take responsibility. As captain I am disappointed to lose and we need to sit down and think where we can start again before the South Africa series,” said Dilshan.

LOL after reading Phutta Baja’s comment, I was also feeling the same thing that this MF praised Misbah and did not utter a word about Afridi who is instrumental in winning the matches, in fact the last ODI he won it single-handedly and they simply cannot accept that he is the best ODI player.

Malik after failing so miserably is once again included in the test squad, how long and how far Sania is going to stretch her legs to service an ace? One day she will tell this Meesna Zanqa to buzz off.

Johnson’s batting is not all that great and the team cannot depend on him, he has batted well on a few occasions but he is not all that reliable and dependable. As regards his bowling, I have seen on a few occasions that if he is thrashed in his first couple of overs, then he forgets his line and length.

i think partnership btw khawaja and ponting laid the foundation. Haddin’s knock was the key as his aggresive demeanour (mesba r u listening) didnt allow bowlers to settle and johnson gave finishing touches. It seems australia will be on top again.

India beware! Aussies will make mincemeat whn u tour them. Dravid seems to be the only brite batter.

Karachi, Nov 21 (IANS) Pakistan have dropped Wahab Riaz from the squad for the tour of Bangladesh after the pacer’s name was mentioned in the recent spot-fixing trial.

Riaz was a part of the squad for last month’s Test series against Sri Lanka in United Arab Emirates (UAE) but was sent home he was named in court as being allegedly involved in the scam. Riaz has been replaced in the Test squad by 23-year-old quick bowler Mohammad Talha.

A London court earlier this year sentenced Salman Butt, Mohammed Amir and Mohammad Asif to jail for spot-fixing at the Lord’s Test last year. The trio’s agent Mazhar Majeed, a bookie, was also found guilty.

During the trial, an undercover reporter claimed that Majeed had told him that Wahab, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal were players he could control in relation to fixing, the BBC reported.

Riaz made his debut against England at the Oval last year during an ill-fated series, which was marred with allegations of spot-fixing.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to comment the reasons for Wahab’s exclusion.

‘We have picked the best possible team,’ said chief selector Mohammad Illyas.

not only hes an idiot,but hes resorted to buttering. It sometimes sounds very cheap whn likes of mesba and zaka are over praised. Now afridi has cemented his place, he should stop this.
Ur thoughts on new senstaion cumins?

Tum tou kaho gay kion kay tumharee tou Sharjah may bahot hee BOKHATIR TAWAZO hoi hogi, apnay BASS Abdul Rahman Bukhatir kay sath baith ker match dekha hoga tum nay, tou zaher hai you must have been totally spoiled like a brat and enjoyed the game from the BOX. Sharjah Cricket Ground must be glittering with lights and the roar of Pathan teski draywers must have been a scene to watch. I think the only that you must have been missing there must be the BOLLYWOOD ki gaye bhainsain e.g. Manisha Cowrilla, Madhuri Big Sheep, Catwariya Rai, Go inda, shove inda, dash dash dash and Mitti Shitty pao aiksutra.

khansahab and tom

Initially Rameez was not like this, he was fair and pretty decent, but for the last few years i.e., since he started his Lameez Lounge TV program he has become very biased and openly say things which breeds regionalism. He once said, ONLY Punjab can produce fast bowlers because they are very strong because they eat meat and drink Milak. WTF? Doodh may be but, do they eat more meat than Pathans? But, eating meat or drinking milk is not the criteria for anyone to become a fast bowler. Even that sookamooka Sami used to bowl at 90-92 mph speed and that is why Imran Khan said, he is going to be one of the best fast bowlers of Pakistan but, that was the decline of Sami because, no one liked that and they ganged up against him and dropped catches.

Oh, btw khansahab didn’t we say this sometime back when PK visited Zim that Riaz is not included because he is a suspect in the betting and match fixing scandal, everyone saw him wearing that same jacket of Mother Majeed in which he kept 15,000 pound sterling. And, the PCB knows that the moment Wahab or Kamran are included in the squad the ICC will raise their eyebrows. And, I have cited the example of Akhtar and Asif when they were tested positive for Nandrolone they were not in the squad, I think they were playing some kinda Champions Trophy in India and later toured England and, they even missed the Caribbean WC. So, this must be the reason for Wahab and Kamran’s Rona, Dhona aur Naak Suraknaa is not that important because the whole QAOM loot (era) is against that finqa.

You are aware of a lot of bollywood leecheries right? And, I assume you must have heard about one Mallika Sherawat? Reportedly, she wanted to commit suicide and went on a railway track and lied down there with her legs and hands stretched apart. The next day all the Indian newspapers headlines were, RAJ DHANI MISSING.

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Those who don’t know what Raj Dhani is? Its an Express Train in India.

Immediately after reading the newspaper, Mian Nawaz Shareef sent a team of terrorists to kidnap Mallika Sherawat and they successfully kidnapped her and took her to Al-ittihad foundary, La’hore. And, we all know what happened after that.

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf Monday said that anti-corruption laws would be framed in the country for thwarting cheating in the games, Geo News reported.

On his return from Dubai at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Zaka Ashraf talking to media said that his meeting with ICC was fruitful. He said that a vigilance wing was being set up, which would ensure players’ security and eradication of corruption.

PCB Chairman attributed the victory against Sri Lanka in both the series to the sincerity and hard work of the players. He said that the Pakistan cricket team would be provided best coaching in batting, bowling and fielding.

When quizzed, Zaka Ashraf said that talks were underway with India and Bangladesh for International cricket in Pakistan, however no timeframe could now be given for this.

oho, newguy welcome back, seems like you have left the bichoo behind? :D Its not just a road its a highway! Yeah look at the top order score card, each one of them scoring a fifty plus knock. But, then on that highway it will be Tendulkars 1.75 cc Bajjaj that will be trickling down the road looking for a milestone behind which you will find a smiling Gavaskar.

Zakat is not dantofying, he is asking for a frame to be made in which his “Thopra” is shown and copies of that to me made in millions so that it can be displayed in every organization just to remind that laws are made for public but, we are ABUDALLAH, (above the law)

Gavaskar has been sitting behind Tendulkar for a ride for 22 years, like Bethal in “Vikram and Bethal” story if you are familiar with this Indian mythology. He won’t get off, until Tendulkar is done.

Once Tendulkar gets his hundred he will play more relaxed, he should get it done with on this highway.

After all this 100th international hundred is not a record at all, since there has never been any such record before Tendulkar reached here, no one ever counts ODI and Test hundreds together, because it was never a significant number like this. The second I think it Ponting with 66 combined hundreds? so anyway, ODI and Test hundreds are together never a record.

People putting pressure on Tendulkar to create records, and he obliges, as if his life mission is to obey people’s expectation of records.

Anyway, he is still the best all round batsman, and should continue as long as he can, but get rid of this suspect batting and bat freely, like he was before this 99th hundred.

I agree that there is always pressure on SRT to make records and please people. But, the people should also realise that there is more to cricket than the pursuit of records. I don’t have any problem with SRT himself because he is a great batsman and he has not had any major scandals or controversies like Kapil Dev or Azharuddin that can taint his greatness. But, I do have a problem with the small mindedness and idiocy of his fans who have in some way also invited a lot of criticism for SRT because they want him to score 100s only.

I also blame a lot of the Pakistani public for pressurising Afridi into only concentrating on 4s and 6s which has prevented Afridi from playing knocks like he played in the last match, more frequently. A lot of people might say that Afridi is admonished and disliked for his irresponsible batting, but the truth is that most of his fan following which includes children and women want him to bat like that.

iam agree. Actually all this talk abt tendkular,ponting has led to a situation where the word great automatically comes whn retirement is discussed. So whn i was mentioning razak retirement, again great came and i inserted by mistake.i realized aftr postng the comment- razak,great.. Ahem!

Anyway,abt fans and tendukar i must say that smart sportsmen dont allow sentiments of fans to control their game. IMO, players who exhibit such tendencies need to mentally toughen up. Kids and ladies dont have the insight to understand value of constructive knocks. They always want 4 and 6 and this mindset wont change. Players r smart enough and they should control proceedings. After all, a wise driver would drive a bus rashly just bakaoz pasengrs incite him.

Yeah, for all his “greatness” SRT does succumb to the pressure of the fans. Obviously it’s an indication of mental weakness and this is evident in how we have discussed that we cannot remember any innings where he has played the anchor role in a situation of crisis. But that I don’t mean a score of 25/2 after 10 overs or something, but something like 50/4.

But, SRT, like Afridi, is public property and he will do what the public want him to do. Nowadays he is struggling because he is definitely aging and not at his peak. He had a terrible 2006 with that tennis elbow problem and many people said he is finished, but he came back with a bang and I think he had a point to prove. Now he has broken most records and is just struggling on the last one. I hope someone can put some sense in his head and ask him to get retirement from Test asap. Don’t want him to average 30-35 in his final year of Tests.

Have you wondered why a consistent bowler like Afridi cannot be consistent with the bat? It must be because of this feeling at the back of his mind that excessively risky batting is his identity.

abt afridi’s batting, ill have 2 say its a simple case of under achievement exacerbated by ill discipline. If u remember gilly had a poor WC in 07 but he playd a super knock in the final. He played that knock slowly in first 10 overs and then he got his confidence bak and thn destroyd 2M’s- murali and malinga. It was one of the best odi knocks and that too a final. It reflects mental grooming of gilly.

What afridi does,he tries to hit every ball and gets out as it aint possible. Whn u continuously get out quickly, u begin to doubt ur batting. These alongwith captaincy and retiremnt frm test ckt corroded his batting.

He should try 2 play like he playd 4th match. He may not always deliver btt hel contribute more as a batter.

Indian fans are after records because it was built into their psyche over years, it will take a long time to unwind it. The main reason behind this is because in the early days of Indian cricket the national team was not strong as a team to win matches, then all fans could get were crumbs of comfort like a hundred scored by a batsman. I remember the days when Indian team was so pathetic that a 50 scored by a batsman were cherished. That was the backdrop where Gavaskar then became the run machine that he was, people started looking up to him even when the team lost, Gavaskar scored yet another hundred against the top team like WI. People had something to cheer. Then Gavaskar broke all world records for most hundreds and this became a symbol of pride for Indians, because the team sucked and only thing to cheer was Gavaskar’s records. He became the first ever batsman to score 10,000 runs and it was a huge milestone at that time.

I remember the time Tendulkar was coming up, when he played his first Ranji match there was so much expectation of him making to national team and one day breaking Gavaskar’s records. Indians still had only individual records to cheer about even then. So, right from the inception Tendulkar was put under pressure as the anointed one to break all batting records. Gavaskar himself said this boy will get 15,000 runs and hit 50 test hundreds. Everyone thought those were lofty goals. But to Tendulkar’s credit, he lived up to the expectation people had on him and he achieved all that and then some more.

One thing many people expected that he could not fulfill was to win big matches on his own, say a WC final, or a big test match. We both agree this is his weakness. My view is same as yours about Tendulkar, that in terms of pure batting he is superior to everyone. Some of this shots against top bowlers of those periods over the years have been unbelievable. No other batsman have done things like that, baring may be Viv Richards. But then again I would say most teams were afraid of intimidating Richards in fear of retaliation by the four fearsome quicks he had under his command.

Anyway, it was only in this decade that India started winning more games than they lose against top teams. It will take time for people to forget pursuit of individual records.

In fact, it is already changing with new guard. No one really keeps track of Dhoni’s runs, hundreds, or whatever. All it matters is that Dhoni is a match winner in ODI format, and a good captain. So, I think it is changing when it comes to new generation of Indian players, fans expect team wins. With old guard they still keep track of records, after all they are walking into their sun set.

I think Tendulkar will have one last hurrah, once he gets past this pressure of needing to score a hundred. It is easy to say why he is worried about fans, but we will never know how it feels to go out and feel peoples expectation on you every time, and then having to live up to it. In many ways he is a national property in India, and people feel he should get do this and that. No one feels that way about Dravid, Laxman, or Sehwag, so they can score freely. I doubt if any batsman can go there and plan to score a hundred and get it, it just happens that way, but in Tendulkar’s case he is probably the only batsman in the world that people put expectation for him to score a hundred to set yet another record.

In many ways it must be same for Afridi, he is unique that people expect him to hit sixes, and he tries to oblige them, I don’t think it is possible to plan to hit sixes every time you bat, it just happens when you get a loose ball or when you connect well. Most batsmen don’t have this expectation on them, but Afridi has, and he gets out trying to hit sixes.

you are right about records, that tendulkar has not broken any record, he has just created them and it is for others to break them. Therefore, he should not be under pressure to score hundreth international hundred because, that should not be a comparison because these are two different format of the games. As regards public pressure, it is human nature to get under pressure momentarily and in cricket that leads you to make mistakes, sometimes you are lucky that four simple catches are dropped and you score a hundred. And, there are times when you play a solid chanceless innings and in your nineties you get shaky for a moment and you make a mistake and even a hard chance is accepted and you are OUT. So, luck also plays its part.

You see Misbah plays slowly and loses the match and instead of getting fired he becomes the captain i.e., his luck. Malik is totally out of form, even when he was in form he wasn’t impressive but, now his lady Sania luck has brought him back into the team.

The News that, “Asif has already spoken to his new legal team and a meeting was held at Canterbury prison where he is in custody with Salman Butt. Asif’s appeal hearing will be delayed by a short period by reason of the change of his legal representatives.

If the appeal against his conviction is successful, the player would be a free man. The UKBA may take steps to detain him for immigration reasons. If such steps are taken The News understands that the same would be opposed vigourously.

The grounds of Asif’s appeal are being formulated at the time of the publication of this article. Such grounds could include the argument that the Judge may have fallen into error in some of the rulings he made during the trial.”

Following is a brief History of Canterbury Prison where Asaf and Butt are serving their sentence:

The prison originated as a county gaol in 1808 and served as a Home Office archive during the First World War. After a time as a Naval Detention Centre, the prison was converted into a Category C prison for men.

In 2003 Canterbury Prison was highlighted by the Prison Reform Trust as being one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country, claiming that Canterbury was overpopulated 57%. Two years later the Howard League for Penal Reform criticised the prison for its high rates of suicides amongst inmates.

In 2007 Canterbury Prison was converted to hold only foreign national prisoners in the UK. This was to allow a centralisation of specialised immigration and language services for foreign prisoners, as well as to allow dedicated immigration officials to work on the deportation of as many inmates as possible (on completion of their sentence).

The prison today
Canterbury Prison holds foreign national prisoners (convicted of crimes in the UK) that are serving less than four years of a sentence, with an expectation of removal.

Facilities at the prison include a gym, astro-turf pitch, kitchens, education and workshops.
A visitors centre for social visits is open every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

You have to admit though Misbah has been solid as captain for Pakistan, team has been as stable as his tuk tuk defense since Misbah took charge, before that there was a musical chair of captains ranging from YK, MoYo, Afridi, Butt. Respect the man, respect. :-)

I am sure many “Misbah-haters” will definitely not agree, but this below is an excerpt from the respected Dr. Kamran Abbasi’s recent article …

Quote …

Afridi’s return to international colours was always a formality; a return to heroics was far less predictable, especially with such measured thrill-making. One of the issues with Afridi has always been how to harness his ability, and on this evidence Mohsin Khan and Misbah-ul Haq may be on to something. Misbah has allowed the strong personalities in his team, like Afridi and Younis Khan, to flourish, demonstrate leadership, and take ownership. Misbah’s captaincy is shorn of ego, a maturity that has escaped Pakistan cricket for decades, perhaps since the time of Mushtaq Mohammad, and creates an environment for flair with responsibility.

Unquote …

Similarly, a few days back another reputable journalist, Saad Shafqat, also wrote something very high about Misbah.

Whether Kamran Abassi or Saad Shafqat or any Turram Khan says that Misbah’s captaincy is good and he has controlled the team or gelled them togather, in my opinion it is not correct. Because, this is exactly what every Zaid, Bakr and Omar in Pakistan or abroad says or writes whenever the team wins or a player performs. The team winning these matches against Zim or SL (or even when they’ll win against BD) is not the criteria to assess Misbah’s ability as a Captain or even as a player. He is a negative and a very selfish player. If he is praising Afridi or YK it is because, he wants them in the team. Was Afridi not praising Malik and Butt when they were in his team? He was praising, he even said during the UK tour that Butt is my main man. But, they were revolting under his captaincy. Which no one can dare to do it now because, of the very obvious reasons.

In my opinion the team is winning because:

1. The match fixing corruption and jailing of 3 players has shaken up the team and they know very well that, if they do any sort of PHUNNAY KHAANI they will be out of the team forever be it AFRIDI OR YOUNUS KHAN, and this is not because of Misbah’s captaincy. But, it is due the PCB who has made it clear that will take strict action because, the ICC is watching them like vultures and hawks. So, the players have to put up their good behaviour and play cricket positively and sensibly i.e., if they want their career in cricket otherwise, they will be out of the team. So, every player is trying his best to give his best. And, Afridi also knows that he is under the microscope and if he blabs anything like before he will regret it, there will be no coming back so no empty threats anymore.

2. Other than the 3 musketeers, the other main culprit i.e., KAMRAN AKMAL is out of the team, he was one of the main reasons why Pakistan were losing the matches. He was constantly dropping catches and he is definitely a part of the gambling mafia without him the team is much cleaner than before.

3. Misbah and Malik are still trying their best to lose the matches but, others are trying very hard to win.

4. Afridi’s one off performance with the bat means nothing besides, he always plays good in the UAE. There is a big talk going on that he has matured now and blah, blah, this is only temporary because, you cannot take off the spots from a leopard. You will see its only a matter of time that he will be back to his old habit of trying to hit sixes and fours on every ball.

5. The team’s real test or, Misbah’s real test will be when they play against Australia in Australia, England in England and SA in SA and then I will see how many matches Misbah will win based on his OWN PERFORMANCE. It is not that he is doing tuk tuk in batting but, he is creating a negative impact on others and that is why Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and others are following his footsteps, which is a very, very bad example.

So, once again no matter whoever says or writes and shower praises and accolades on Misbah’s captaincy, I really don’t give a TOSH because, my analysis and my assessment is mine and I don’t have to butter anyone or please people, it is blunt, straightforward and it hurts. The only person who I think might agree with my views is perhaps khansahab, because we do see things in similar perspective and most of the time we re right. And, I don’t want to change my opinion even if he disagrees.

By making a flattttt.. track, one is expecting that 100 is there for any batsman

he may score the 100, but the point is is this a healthy approach or is this helping him

test match looks gonee… for all money

what gets butchered amongst all this mayhem ; test cricket!

basically the message is look sachin forget the match. its a paradiseeee… for batsman. even ch2 WI batsmen are making tons of runs. series is already in the bag, just go buddy get your cherished 100. talk abt pressure, hun!

WI still has a few batsmen and with this flate trake they can make 700 runs and there will be NO SECOND INNINGS for any team in this match. Because, they are scoring at a very, very slow rate.

tom

your opinion on Misbah’s captaincy in response to Munir and newguys’s comments? I have my say and I just spilled he beans.

oh, btw when I used the phrase tom dick and harry that was based on your changing the nick to gemini, otherwise I may not have used it. So, pls ignore that its just an expression that came off from my mind spontaneously.

The ICC should penalise the Mumbai cricket authority for creating this pitch. This is insulting the game of cricket just to facilitate a record which will come soon enough. It can only happen in India.

When Misbah used to score quickly he could not win matches. What a pathetic situation to be in- because most players who can score quickly usually end up winning matches consistently.

When he started batting slowly he is not winning matches.

I said a few days ago that he has a good defence but, I was perhaps wrong. This is because even tailenders can do well when it comes to blocking balls. Ambrose blocked 40-50 balls in that innings where Lara made 153 which is considered to be one of the best innings of all time. No point being able to block balls if you cannot exploit conditions later and either score quickly or win the match.

Misbah averaged 20 something when he played 10 years ago and then he was dropped for this performance. Now upon his return he was initially played as a pressure handler and hitter. He could not go on to win matches but he could hit big shots. Now he plays as a specialist middle order batsman but he performs absolutely no role. It is an insult to people like Kallis and Dravid to say that Misbah has a good defence. When the ball is more than 85 mph and it’s swinging, Misbah’s defence becomes very vulnerable.

As far as captaincy goes, if Misbah’s captaincy is good beating the worst Sri Lankan team of the past 20 years and beating teams like Zimbabwe and New Zealand, then Afridi’s captaincy in the WC was legendary and better than Nasser Hussain’s or Steve Waugh’s. From memory Pakistan played Australia before India did. I have a feeling that Australia may have been able to beat India if they had beaten Pakistan. But, to take a beating from a team which people thought would not even make it to the QF stage must have been too much for them.

Most people will definitely question why Tendulkar only played for 100s and not for the team’s victories. I think along the same lines as you do that, it is because of fans’ pressure, but most people will not and this will remain as a lasting criticism of SRT’s batting.

It is just like how Tom does not agree with me entirely that, Afridi’s irresponsible batting is because of the pressure of fans. You can’t say that his mind is not able to handle pressure, because it is- as his last knock showed. All this drama about him being an aggressive Pathan and not being able to think rationally is just not true. If you have done something in the past once, you can do it again.

Similarly SRT has played some pressure knocks too but they were not of the same magnitude as Lara or Inzamam.

So the public is the reason for these players’ weaknesses just as they are a symbol of their strength.

They are celebrities and public property before they are sportsmen. In India people literally worship SRT and in Pakistan most people only come to the stadium to watch Afridi hit sixes.

I remember earlier this year there was a domestic tournament in Karachi and Afridi was not playing, but the fans did not know this and only came to the stadium to watch him. When they started complaining why Afridi was not present, special arrangements had to be made to make sure Afridi made an appearance. The organisers were scared that turnout would reduce to zero if Afridi did not make that appearance.

Similarly, in another tournament, when Afridi was not playing only 50 people came to National Stadium in Karachi. The next day when Afridi was playing, the stadium was full.

That’s stumps. Another good day for West Indies. Special century for Bravo, who now has three in his last four. The rest of the top order kept contributing too. They can now push for wickets tomorrow. It can be argued they could do that today, but they neither declared nor went looking for quick runs. Let’s see how India go with the bat. Join us tomorrow. Cheers

sorry folks! if home team 2-0 up, prepares such a lousy track then you should seriously wonder on whom onus lies. India is stronger team and has incentive of a whitewash. but a stat gobbles up common sense.

the indian cricket higher ups have conveyed this sort of message to tedulkar

we know you’ll struggle on a green pitch. we know you cant handle pressure specially if its a 4th inning run chase. so we offer you a propsition. we devise a match where result is a non isssue. mediocre batsmen will flourish on this flat track so we are facilitating you in getting a 100. get us that 100!

you have to wonder, this mindset raises the question. who seriously has doubts about sachin’s ability. IMO, he can score 100 in any situation but perhaps indian board has a different view. even if he scores 100, people will say it was a doctored match to get that 100- just like we hear in kapil’s case. a green pitch could have been prepared considering india’s struggle in england.

ultimately , it looks a lose lose situation. 100 or no 100- questions will be asked.

I hope for sachin’s sake he gets it tomorrow and we can look forward to cricket and results!

we can see all these facts. why these hi profile writers dont realise this and acknowledge meesba hasnt been tested as far as captaincy is concerned. the other day, khasees and waqqa were pouring praise on meesba but ignored afridi. mr abbasi doesnt admit that it aint easy to perform after a break. dont these guys understand what will happen if pakistan faces same conditions like india faced in england. it will be absolute drubbing.

It is good that Imran Farhat is not playing and Asad Shafiq is playing. He should not get bogged down to make a solid 50 at a strike rate of 50, instead he should keep on scoring at a strike rate of minimum 75, this is ODI and not test. Wuss Malik has been given yet another chance because of the WOS (woman on the spot) and Munir confirmed that she was @ the Sharjah stadium.

Hafeez gone, Dilhara per V-cut jeeta.

Dilhara has been very effective against Pakistanis, I have noticed that he has taken a good number of wickets against Pakistan and, he was not even in the squad for SL when they were playing other natinons. Very lazy shot by Hafeez, like other Pakistani players he too must have thought that Dilhara is not that great so they can go after him.

These high profile writers they don’t delve deeper, they only see the obvious and they want to write only that aspect which they think public will appreciate, the entire media industry is like that.

I agree with tom that they should have at least acknowleged that it is not easy for any player to come back after a gap of 6 months and then perform excellently. In case of Afridi it was not like he was not performing earlier he had an entirely different case. First he revolted and resigned and then he settled the case outside the court and paid the fine. Apparently, after his verbal row with Waqar and Ijaz Butt, there was very little hope that he would return to the team because, Butt was strong and lucky for Afridi that he went away soon. So, he was under that kinda pressure which no one may have been. Plus he was the captain of the team, now playing under a mediocre player who cannot even justify his inclusion in the team, so for Afridi it is a kinda demotion in his status (I am not sure if they demoted him by giving him a “B” category central contract from “A” category, was he?) and yet he kept everything out of his mind and played with a lot of sense rather than emotions. And, these writers, plus Khameez, Waqar, Wasim are ignoring him totally and praising that dumb and negative captain. WHAT A SHAME GUYS, YOU ARE ALL BIASED AND SELFISH AND YOU PROMOTE REGIONALISM KHULLAM KHULLA.

Perhaps you are right, Malik has done this before a few times i.e., whenever his position was at stake he scored 50 odd runs and remained not out like Misbah and they say, “nai jee he is class player he has now JUST regained his form.” The only thing is whether he will get a chance to play? Right now the scoring rate is very slow, 36 in 11 overs.

Misbah inspired Umar to stay until the end and win the match for Pakistan. Earlier he will come in and play some shots and get out. This is a clear indication that Misbah is able to get best out of players who can win matches when their talent is harnessed. Last match he got the best out of Afridi. It does not matter whether Misbah is slow in batting, he gives solid platform and then gets the best out of stroke players. Similar to how Miandad got the best out of Inzi in 92 WC, and other similar situations.

From a neutrals perspective, Misbah clearly is doing the job for Pakistan that no other captain has done in last 5 to 7 years.

Misbah inspired Afridi to get the best out of Afridi? LOL…….. that is so typical of our desis to say but, I was not expecting this from you. I do understand that you are a neutral here because you are from India. But, being a Pakistani, can’t I be neutral especially when analyzing the team or players performance? Why would I be biased? Afridi has played similar innings a few times like, his Chennai Test hundred against India when Miandad was the coach. Also, in SA, ODI when he scored 70 odd runs with Yousuf as his partner. People give the credit to someone else but, not Afridi. That time they said, Miandad inspired him whereas Miandad was in the pavilion. And in SA Yousuf inspired him because he is a senior player. Whereas, Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja, Inzamam and even Waqar has said, you keep telling Shahid Afridi to slow down and he says, Yes Wasim Bhai, yes so and so bhai and then the next ball he hits for a six. And, they all said, he never listens.

IMO, he plays sensibly whenever he decides to do that. Sometimes rather most of the time I have seen him getting out when he is defending. Remember in Kanpur he was hitting sixes and fours and scored a 100/42 and the first ball he defended, he got out. That was his luck, there wasn’t anything special in that ball, he defended, the ball hit his front foot and bounced back and hit the stumps.

And, don’t you think Afridi as a captain didn’t him inspire Hafeez, Umar Akmal etc., when they were batting? He was blamed by Wasim and Ramiz that he is talking too much to his players. And, Wasim is such a liar, he criticized Afridi and he said, if I was the bowler and if the captain keeps talking to me, I would have been pissed off. And, 2 minutes later when the other commentator asked him, that during his time didn’t Imran Khan inspire you? He said, Oh, Imran Bhai is such a great leader, he used to talk to me all the time about field placement etc., and when I was bowling, he would walk with me till the end of my run up and used to give me his expert advise. Sala Chamcha he negated his own criticism @ Afridi in the same breath by praising Imran Khan for obvious reasons.

The only reason Misbah is being praised is because his English is better than others and he has a cool demeanor and he can express himself better than any other player in the team. Then he also remembers to acknowledge that ALL players have contributed and played well, which makes the high profile writers believe that he is captaincy material. They completely ignores his negative impact on the team.

Malik was pathetic throughout this series and in this match he produced a first ball duck and according to Misbah yet he played well and contributed well? BS.

In the BD tour, Abdul Razzaq and Junaid Khan are out because of injuries and that makes “A” room for 2 players they need to be replaced by a fast bowler and an all-rounder. We have the BEST all-rounder in the team and he is Shoaib Malik as regards fast bowler Sohail Khan will still not be considered in the squad and I wonder what is wrong with HAMMAD AZAM? He seems to have disappeared into oblivion. Pakistan selectors have a knack to make the budding talents disappear into thin air.

I don’t understand the way these ICC rankings are calculated. First of all Pakistan has won more matches against SL and this is not just this series but even in the WC this year they beat SL at home yet, they are above Pakistan (I do understand that ALL matches are included) but, then look at the number of matches India has played?

India has played 5 more matches than Pakistan in the ODI dept………… and their points are 118 as opposed to Pakistan’s 108
And, they have played 9 more matches than Pakistan in the tests….. and their points are 117 as opposed to Pakistan’s 98

If Pakistan wins all the next 5 matches against BD …….. they will move up in the rankings but, India has to play 5 ODI’s against West Indies and are likely to win most of them, it could be 4-1 or 5-0. So, the they will be ahead of Pakistan in the rankings table.

Why don’t they take the average of the same number of matches the team that has played less number of matches? The points are given on the basis of number of wins and it is obvious that the team who plays more matches they have a higher probability of winning more matches especially when they play against the minnows. Even if they do this, for e.g., consider that they take India’s no. of matches in ODI same as Pakistan’s i.e. 34 matches. In this case there is a possibility that India may have progressed after the 34th match till their 39th, so the comparison will not be accurate. I think in whichever way you tabulate there will always be a flaw, because ALL teams cannot play the same exact number of matches in one year.

Therefore, what they should do is, wait till ALL the teams play the exact number of matches (say 40 or 45, whatever) in that period and then calculate rankings according to that i.e., based on the number of wins and losses in those 40 matches. Any other match played after that 40 should be carried forward to the next year table. It is just like the financial fiscal year that does not have to be from January 1st to December 31st but, it could be from July 1st to June 30th next year.

Chill out yaar .. I wrote the previous comment to rile you up, because I know how both you and KS feel about Misbah. He is a total dud, how can Indian supporters forget uncle Misbah after all, he won two world cups for India .. LOL.

I don’t believe in this Misbah inspirational story, I think the truth is everyone is scared after the jailing of those three and they have decided to be good boys for now.

That said, Misbah might still be the most stable captain for Pakistan in so many years. He is far better in his demeanor and speech compared to former four captains. YK was a bumbling idiot. Yusuf was lazy and couldn’t communicate. Afridi was temperamental, he bit the ball, quit Test captaincy, so on .. as for Butt less said the better, who else is captain material left over in Pakistan team? Misbah for now seems to be the most calming influence. Pakistan needs less controversy and more stability now. Misbah may be negative in his batting, but he is still a calming presence overall.

ICC rankings are calculated over the last 3 years performance if I am not mistaken? and it matters the ranking of the team defeated. If Pak beat Bang they will still go up, but only by small margin because of lower ranking of opposition, but they will lose more points for losing against same opposition.

WI all out for 590, India about to bat, is this going to be the day? I am not waiting to find out, going to hit the sack now.

A quick look at cricinfo homepage shows a beaming Misbah with the trophy and the statement under it that says, Misbah with his innings of 66 helped win the series 4-1 for Pakistan. Well .. there you go, it says all about public perception.

I think there should definitely be some importance to what you say as a neutral about Misbah, because me, Javed, Khansahab as well as tom MAY have our own personal likings and dislikings as Pakistanis, but you (or any third person) as a neutral have a totally balance, unbiased and impartial view of the person/ situation which must be respected.

Similarly, this is what a neutral, Indian commentator (Nitin) has to say about Misbah on Cricinfo … You just have to love the way Pakistan go through their ODI cricket. For my money, they have the best bowling attack in the world now, and under Misbah the batting has acquired the rigour and discipline that was absent earlier.

I personally believe that no one player is a complete devil and at the same time on one is a complete angle, they all have their own pros and cons. Therefore, all players, be it Misbah, Younis, Malik, Umer Akmal, Hafeez or even Afridi, have their own plus and minus for the team/ country, and at the moment Misbah’s strengths enormously outweigh his negativities.

That being said, the actual irony is that no matter what Dr. Kamran Abbasi writes, or what Saad Shafqat praised, or what any Turram Khan considers, or what few million Pakistani cricket fans believe, or even what any Neutral / Indian cricket fan or commentators thinks is not important at all, but all that matters is the general consensus on LS about how slow, negative, selfish and useless Misbah is.

I have only one question for all Misbah-haters … give alternative name/ names of best possible options to captain Pakistan in T20, ODI, and Tests teams.

Changes in ICC Rules – A new cricket ball from each end to start the game and Powerplay restrictions …

As all must be knowing that ICC have introduced new changes in the recently concluded Pakistan/ Sri Lanka ODIs series to use two new balls simultaneously, one from each end. And at the end of each over, the ball goes back to the respective umpire while from the other end next umpire uses a second ball.

With this rule, the ball is used for alternative overs and so it remains in fine condition till, say like 10/ 15 over each. This way, overall the ball is in good condition for almost 30 overs of the game, which definitely effects the batting conditions.

The 2 new ball rule, will reduce the changes of ‘Reverse Swing’, as well as the risk of introducing a different ball in the 30/ 35 overs which can change the game considerably. It allso reduces the effectiveness of spinners.

Similarly, as per the new ICC changes, the Bowling Powerpaly can not be taken before completion of 15 overs and so most of the bowling sides took their bowling PPs from 16 to 20 overs, which earlier was almost a formality to start from 11 to 15, right after the first mandatory PP of 1 to 10 overs. Furthermore, the Batting Powerplay must also be used/ finished before start of 41 overs, and therefore batting sides were taking batting PP from 35 to 40 overs, which earlier was mostly taken from 45 to 50 overs.

I think, the Powerplay rules have been changed to keep the interest alive in the entire 50 over interval and not only in 1 to 15, and last 40 to 50 overs.

I fail to see any discussion/ comments about these changes in ICC rules. :(

My contention is meebha as a long term capataan is toxic to development of pakistan cricket. How good is he as a batsman? scoring a 50 in a dead rubber makes him a saviour ( hmmm……)

If we reverse the situation vis a vis India, ie India played WI in WI, sri lanka at home and then Bangladesh and Pk would have toured England then what would have been the results. its not success but the background against it is achieved that also matters.

but response would be this is all if……. Fine, let time be the judge and we’ll found out is majority always right or wrong.

meesbha’s shortcomings as captaan will be ruthlessly exposed on an aussie or english tour. when the next tour is, i dont know?

BTW, meesbha is 37 and a adha, so for how long will he play. i cant see him playing 2015 WC. he ll be 41 and adhaa or may be his fans believe hell be there. so my pint or my point is in that scenario someone else will be made capataan or will it be the status quo till eternity.

regarding public perception, why it was not given importance when afridi was dumped out of pk team. politicians, public, celebrities everybody screamed for his inclusion but no audience was given.

rite now, IAM AGREE that voice of sanity will be squashed by hungama of success, so wait and see is the best approach. perhaps, if meesbha starts being enterprising and concentrates on winning rather than draws, our arguments would simply wither.

Now for the most important item on the agenda!

Will he or wont he, I hope he gets it and India finally concentrates on cricket and not records.

What Misbah bashers yar? If Misbah is really a good positive player and a strategic captain, we will support him for sure. We don’t dis or support a player because of his ethnicity but, based on his performance. I don’t think you are getting the point here which khansahab, tom and I are trying to make. If a captain or, a leader breeds negativity in the team or in the country then the spirit of the team is squashed in the sense that they will follow the leader to please and appease him. Imagine if the team starts losing from now and Misbah still scores a fifty in 120 balls the negative way he played in the WC made everyone realized that Pakistan lost because of Misbah’s wasting the balls. Sour memories get short circuited with a couple of wins and people have the tendency to forget the past and talk about the present. They also lose the ability to think about the future. Imagine what kinda culture and players he will be leaving behind? The positive spirit that Imran Khan and Javed Miandad left behind produced Wasim Akram, Waqar Younus, Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf etc., but what have Wasim Waqar left behind? Asif, Aamir etc., ! Which is a Vulture Culture of match fixers and gamblers.

Misbah is going to leave behind, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat etc. Trust me guys even if Mohammad Hafeez was made captain of this team they would have played well. Because, right now FEAR IS THE KEY that is making them perform. Either they play for vested interest or they play well under a DANDA.

You are saying that newguy is neutral i.e., because he is not from Pakistan’s background therefore, his views are better than anyone of us, right? BTW he was only teasing me and he has clarified his stance in the next comment he wrote. You may also say that later on with a wink ;-) that you wanted to rile me up. Actually I am not rilled up and my analysis are not based on emotions but, they are just the way I see it in totality and not in parts.

Assuming you are right, then in that case your support for Misbah is also wrong because you are biased too, am I right? Then your opinion about Imran Khan, Musharraf, Nawaz, Zaradi as politicians is also biased, so you should not be commenting on them also because, your views are tainted and you should not support anyone because you are not a neutral person. By that it also means that Pakistanis or people who live in their country shall not vote because they are not neutral?

Since you are a neutral person for world cricket and world politics does that makes you an expert? And, you are an expertt on Australian or Indian cricket and that also makes you an expert advisor to the US economy or whatever. :D Come on yar, don’t try to use logic that negates itself.

On one hand people say, there is no need for a foreign coach. Then they negate their statement by saying Pakistan needs a foreign coach Bob Woolmer who was neutral …… WTF? The coach is not the selector, it is the selectors who needs to be neutral in chosing the players.

Once again I am re-emphasizing my point that Pakistanis perform well only under two circumstances:

1. When there is a personal vested i.e., when they see they are making personal gains, in money, fame or whatever.

2. And, they perform excellently when there is a DANDA behind them. Right now they are all afraid after seeing the result of match fixing and spot fixing. And, that is keeping them united as a team. Misbah or NO Misbah the team will play like this – at least for a short period of time – this is the truth.

Umar Farooq is another ch2ium Sulphate, he writes for DAWN as well, after reading a few of his blogs, I have stopped reading it, even now I skim read that article he wrote in espn and in the last paragrahp of his article it is not clear whether Misbah actually said that or he is saying, because his quotation mark started but, there is no ending……………. I couldn’t stop laughing at that comment that Malik is playing well in the nets (0, 2 ) is his scores in the last 2 matches and that happens sometimes……. WHAO……. these guys are really experts.

If something wrong happened to Afridi, or some injustice is done to him by iJazz Butt, Waqar or that selector (Farha’t FIL), then you can not blame Misbah for that. I mean how and why should Misbah be blamed for any unfairness meted out to Afridi after his retirement or in delaying his coming back by other guys. At time of iJazz Butt, Afridi also met and complained about him to Asif Zardari and even he did not help Afridi and totally ignored him. If President of a country couldn’t help Afridi, how could Misbah :?:

What I see in a lot of anti-Misbah comments is to always compare him with Afridi. We have to realize that they are both different players and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Like Misbah can not play fast, Afridi also can not play slow and save Tests for Pakistan. Both have their limitations.

We should not always criticize one person and target him for the sake of justifying our journalistic criticism.

Secondly, when Misbah played his negative role in Pakistan’s defeat in WC, we all criticized him and blamed him for that. Most Pakistani fans and the entire cricketing world criticized him. Now that matter is behind us and he should be given some credit for the way team is performing today.

Thirdly, no one is pure evil or an angle for ever, Misbah may have hundreds of flaws but he surely must be having some positives, which we all miss totally.

First of all no one is asking Misbah to help Afridi, there is a famous Latin expression and the translation is, “No man can give what he has NOT got.” So, Misbah cannot give anything to Afridi, but he is breeding negativism in the team by playing slow in ALL formats.

Secondly, Misbah’s WC performance may be behind his “angle” but, the fact is his batting style is still in front of him and in front of us and, he is not giving it up, he is still the slow old Misbah trying to cement his place. The reason he is playing slow is because, he does not want to take any risk or chances, he wants to score a fifty at a strike rate of 30 and wants to remain not out, so that gives the impression that he, as an individual is playing well, whereas he is NOT doing any justice with others and the team. He is least bothered about team winning or losing and he is only interested in his personal gains and personal achievements.

I have written above in my previous comment, if Misbah plays positive cricket, I will be the first one to support him. And, who is saying that so and so is flawless? As regards pure evil, Shaitan to pure evil hai aur ta hashr rehay ga. Aur hum may say kaun Shaitan hai vo bhee tum nahee bata saktay, hai kay nai?

Anyways, in my comment to NewGuy, I used a bold and in capital the word ( MAY ) which you ‘missed’.

Secondly, NewGuy may be or may be not, joking about Misbah, but in his last comment no. 272 he is still saying few words in favour of Misbah. But don’t worry, NewGuy and me too, will soon give up our case. ;)

aNO, I didn’t miss MAY but, I misunderstood it because it is right after you wrote …. tom ……. I thought you were referring to TIM MAY that player. :-) Secondly, MAY is one of the best months for me here, because it brings not only Spring in Montreal, but it also brings the HOPE of a new life, the great summer months ahead from that month.

Just for your info, yesterday we had 6 inches of snow, the first of the season but, the good news is, it is melting away and there is some plus, plus temperature for a week. somthing to look forward and smile I mean not from “Misbah’s angle” but from weather point of view. :D

when he was DUMPED as capataan after WC, he ruefully said in press conf that I was the player who won 2 WC’s but iam remebered as someone who lost 2 ashes.

the guy had a terrific record as captaan and player but ultimately aussie selectors took the rite decision in removing him and appointing clarke as his successor. perhaps, sub continent culture never allows to take bold decisions. Had ponting been a paki, he would have still been captaan. which makes me quiz meesbha supporters.

would he had won the WC?

can he beat england in england?

ponting lost due to these two reasons his captaaancy, but I dont think meebha will be dumped even if he fails on these two fronts. rite now khasees has tweeted on cricin fo when pk was no1 in test cricket. with this mentality, it will be always a dream.

While about ‘himmat na haro’, as I have said many times before my “liking” for Misbah is far far less then Your, KS and tom’s collective “disliking” of the guy, so I have to ‘himmat haro’ if I want to stay on this blog. ;)

Abhee naashtay ka time hee nahee howa, subha kay 5 bhee nahee bajay, I woke up in the middle of the night BAKAOZ I am a “Cereal Killer” and that is what I had a couple of hours ago. Btw, Teetar and Batairs are being marinated since yesterday, so to-nite dinner ka vo menu hai….. didn’t you read my email that I went to a farm day before yesterday and got a few dozen birds? :D

Vaisay French Kings tou Totlay thay salay maantay nahee but, it is obvious from their written and spoken French. To justify that they say there are rules and there are exceptions but, I see there are more exceptions than rules.

Yes 3 is surely greater than 1 … this is why I dare speak much too often. ;)

And you are also right that there may be a handful of Misbah critics, but believe you me there will definitely be more of his supporters than his critics today, specially after winning the Sri Lankan Tests and ODI series. Nevertheless, there is another point that Misbah’s supporters will not be welcomed on LS ;)

DUBAI: Pakistan’s spin bowler Saeed Ajmal has topped the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI bowlers ranking at the end of Pakistan-Sri Lanka series that ended with Pakistan’s 4-1 victory.

Saeed Ajmal took 11 wickets in the 5-match series. Pakistan has strengthened its no. 5 ranking in the ODI list. Ajmal grabbed that position from New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori who has retired from ODI and T20 after the World Cup 2011.

Sri Lanka has more points than Pakistan even though they have played fewer ODI’s. I agree with you that, the rankings are silly if you consider that the more matches a team plays than everything else being equal, they will also be ranked more highly.

But, as Newguy said, if you beat better ranked teams you will gain more points. So the difference between SL and Pakistan is that SL have also beaten good teams recently whereas Pakistan has been playing minnows mostly.

This again demonstrates the so called progress and rebuilding Pakistan team is undergoing in Misbah’s tenure.

Welcome Sir, I am sorry I had to stop reading your ‘Ghari’ Urdu in English half-way. Sir was paining. ;)

About, Tindla, I heard that Mumbai Cricket have annouced that they will give him 100 Gold Coins if he scored his 100th Century in Mumbai. So now he can offer 3/ 4 coins to the umpires and must reach this milestone, and get over with.

On the topic of Misbah, I am serious when I said he is making a difference. The joking part was when I said he inspired Afridi to perform, that was to rile up Javed Khan.

I have followed enough of Pakistani fans to understand the reason behind the Misbah dislike. Pakistanis want their players to be dominating, they want batters to destroy opposition bowling and bowlers to destroy opposition batting. Then they get all heroic welcome.

A person like Misbah who is calm and collected, is an accumulator, one who has limitations and knows them, but plays within them is not flashy enough for them, or the better word to say is may be Misbah is not Pakistani enough for the fans liking. He will never destroy opposition, he will win by attrition. He will get draws when a Test match could have been lost. He may not win them by changing losing situations into winning. But before Misbah Pakistan was collapsing and losing from seemingly winning positions. Misbah has arrested the slide with his batting and others are also following.

I think JK and KS want Pakistan captain to be someone like Imran Khan, Miandad, or Seed Anwar, but they are gone, the new reality requires may be someone like Misbah to help transition. I don’t think Hafeez or any other player would do as good as Misbah as Javed Khan puts it up. It is not that easy.

miandad was an accumalator, a classical cheeky single player. Infact he taught pk batsmen value of singles- he wasnt chaka choka batter.
He was popular wth public but ethnic background resulted in clashes with authorities.
So its not true 4 or 6 batsmen are only liked. Mebha is-ve, plays for draws. How do u think mebha would have fared in england whr india lost 4-0
its very dificlt to analyse weaknesses whn toast of sucess rules the roost. Just like the mughal empire which never planned long term and ultimately collapsd.
A crckt moghul uh?
Shenshah mesba of stodge kingdom.

Every Pakistani fan I have seen blames Misbah for losing the WC semi. My question to them is what were the others doing? Common answer seems to be that since Misbah is batting slow that puts pressure on others to take risks and get out. This is totally baseless. Regardless of Misbah slow batting, others are risk takers, some times very reckless. They are lucky not to get out, sometimes they connect and hit sixes and fours and the fans think this is the way to go, but they are taking risks and eventually gets out. Not a single player played the ODI innings building with calculated risks. So why blame Misbah alone?

I am not asking all this just to tease JK and KS. These are things I have been pondering about for a long time, based on comments I read on the net about collectively blaming Misbah for WC semi failure. Pakistan lost the match in many ways, collectively, Misbah seems to be easy scape goat.

If rebuilding means defeating minnows and still staying below in rankings compared to Sri Lanka who have played less ODI’s then we don’t want this kind of rebuilding.

This so called stability and calmness etc is nothing- whether Pakistan was under Younis, Malik or Afridi the result of this series and the series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand would have been the same.

Real progress was seen in the WC when Pakistan reached the SF.

No one is expecting Pakistan to just play like Australia and destroy the opposition away. But, this kind of batting that can’t accelerate when there is a need or even when the bowling is mediocre, is negative and counter productive.

Pakistan is doing well because Hafeez, Ajmal and Afridi are bowling consistently in ODI’s and Cheema and Junaid have made an impact. Even last year the spin trio was the same and Pakistan had the likes of Wahab Riaz accompanying Umar Gul. So, I don’t really see any performance.

The reason Misbah is blamed for the WC defeat is because Younis Khan had been dismissed when Misbah was trying to settle. Once Younis was gone the onus was on Misbah to anchor the chase because he was the 2nd most senior batsman after Younis. There was a period of about 20-30 balls when Misbah just blocked when he could have scored and that is what really lost the match for Pakistan.

There are always ifs and buts but, it is that period which was the key because Misbah had settled down and he should have kept the scoreboard ticking. Instead he wanted to get to his 50 first before he takes the risks and when he reached 50, the match had already been lost.

Do you remember that recently in Pakistan-Zimbabwe Tests, Zimbabwe dominated most days in two matches? I think it was something like, they dominated 4 days in the first Test and 3 days in the second Test. They lost the series because they lost many wickets in a few sessions.

Regarding mesbha talk, i must say our pov hasnt been understood at all. It seems that the objectiöns we have raised are set aside and are asked just to acknowledge success of mesbha w/o considering higly significant contributions frm othr players which would have altered the complexion of the series.

P.S This is the only issue whr u, me and jak agree. Else we disagree on majority of issues like tendkar,mush, democrasy vs marsha law etc. :-)

I have expressed my views before and I want to clarify this point once again that, like us you two and ALL others have the freedom to express their own perspective, views, opinions about any player and we respect that. We are here to discuss and exchange our views, we are not here to go through some religious rituals. So, whatever you say is well taken but, you don’t have to assume that our views are biased or tainted or, we are emotional about so and so player.

aNO, that is NOT the case, if you think we support Afridi, you should also know that we have criticized Afridi more than you guys but, our criticism is when he does some stupidities, we haven’t spared him when he scuffed the pitch, or bit the ball or withdrew his case and settled with Ijaz Butt outside the court. We were very upset and lashed our criticism at him. We have also not spared him when he played stupid shots at critical moments and got out.

When he made 75 and took 5 wickets we praised him only that much what he deserved, we did not go overboard or, created new words or jargons like LALLAFIED or whatever. The fact is, despite getting out cheaply in many matches he is definitely the best all-rounder in shorter version of the game and when he is on song he entertains everyone except for the opposition. If he fails in batting he compensates with his bowling.

Whereas, Misbah is only a batsman and c’est tout. If he fails with the bat he is a drag in that match. He has started this negative tactics of playing slow to cement his place in the team and get recognition from the masses by scoring a fifty and remaining not out on most occasions. Most people have started realizing this but, the media is brainwashing people by highlighting his “egg-sell-ant” leadership qualities and “Soup-Herb” Captaincy, such as his cool demeanor and slightly better English than others and even mentioning about his MBA degree etc. etc. These are all ad ons or window dressing his flaws.

As long as Afridi was captain of the team till the WC, he actually motivated and gelled the team with the exception of a few whose motives were very different from the rest. It was he who brought the best out of Hafeez, and not only 3 of us but, you two and all others know this very well. And, Afridi’s team beat the tough teams in the WC whereas, Misbah has so far lead his team against NZ, Zim and SL, and won.

Besides, playing in the UAE is different from playing in other countries. What is Misbah’s personal contribution? People from the sub-continent have the habit of worshiping the Rising Sun and their memories are very short lived. It is very difficult for most of them to understand the underlying truth that is behind the success of this team. We have written it so many times that the players at the moment are scared after seeing the movie called, THE THREE MUSKETEERS and they are playing well because of fear. They want to hold their places by their teeth and that includes Afridi and Misbah too.

On Misbah’s cool demeanor I want to give the example of Inzamam ul Haq, he was a cool cucumber and that was not the only quality in him, he is not an MBA and that is not his disqualification or weakness. He lead the team by example, he used to play at a good strike rate, he took a lot of pressure himself and encouraged the batsman at the other end and the BEST quality that he possesed is, he won more matches against very tough opposition and we all know that on most occasions when he scored a century Pakistan has won. Whereas, Misbah despite remaining not out with a 50 plus, most of the time Pakistan has lost.

That is the difference between him and Inzamam and did we ever criticized Inzamam on this subject? NOT at all, we made fun of him for his pathetic English and his Tableegh etc., but never as a player. So, who is Inzamam? Our Chacha? Mama?

We never criticized Wasim and Waqar’s bowling but, we condemned their involvement in betting and their double standards and for their regionalism and jingoistic approach and for their bloopers we laughed, but as fast bowlers we have always praised them.

So, please don’t call us as Misbah Bashers, we criticized Malik long before people came to know his Meesna Pan and his negative tactics, we spotted Kamran Akmal’s harami pan in dropping catches of Sami, Kaneria and Afridi with a deliberate intention to make them as failed players. Whenever anyone (including Salman Butt) played dirty politics we spotted that and blasted our criticism.

Bhai jaan, Meherbaan, Qadardaan, (plus paandaan, ugaaldaan etc., etc.) tuk tuk ker is nearing his eighties right now (79*) and Wankhede Stadium is going to blow up with slogans of Har, Har Mahadev and Jivay Jivay Baal Thackery when he scores 100th 100 today before lunch. The interesting thing would be to see him batting in his 90eez, if he plays like he is playing now, i.e., two fours and a two in his over, he will get over very soon. OH GOSH HE SMASHED A SIX and is on 93* now. Let me see this and I’ll get back later.

somebody needs to stand up and tell the indian public to stop this mental destruction of tendulkar. This is like insulting a genius. An absolute joke of a test match. Let him play like a normal player. This is now becoming very painful. Let him be himself for whatever limited time he has in ckt. Sometimes too much love is very harmful.

TENDULKAR ….. what can be said of him now, except may be leave him alone to retire in peace with whatever little time he has left.

I was at a friends place because of Thanksgiving today over here in US, and watching live on TV with friends. I told people that I would not be shocked if he gets out in the 90’s, I said in fact there is a very high chance he will get out in 90’s. He has been so nervous. I cannot understand how it is possible for a man with that much experience, more than any other cricketer in the world ever played, get out with just six runs to get to a milestone no one ever done, that too on this pitch with this type of bowling.

Tendulkar simply is a nervous wreck in 90’s and he simply can’t handle pressure.

A six before that was very edgy and he was playing risky shots to get to his hundred and be done with it. He took another risky shot and paid the price.

Will he ever get this hundred? I doubt it. Media and crowd won’t leave him, as long as he plays, this has become very painful to follow. I hope Tendulkar will set a retirement date now and if he doesn’t get it then he should go out on 99. After all, Bradman did retire on 99.94.

SYDNEY: Former captain Ricky Ponting says he’ll quit Test cricket before he’s dropped from the Australian team, but is not considering retirement at the moment.

The 36-year-old veteran of 156 Tests told reporters on Friday, “I totally understand why I’m being asked the questions I’m being asked but, by the same token, I believe I’m good enough, one, to be in the team and that I’m good enough to win games for Australia.

He said he if he keeps doing the work he doing and not getting the results, “then maybe it’s time but, at the moment, I don’t feel that time is here just yet.”

Mumbai: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar missed his 100th international century by just six runs and it has not only disappointed his fans across the globe, Bollywood celebs are heartbroken too.

Sachin has struck 99 centuries in international cricket, and has been stuck at that figure for the last eight months. His last century came in a World Cup league match against South Africa in March. And ever since it has been a long wait to see him score the century of centuries nobody has scored before. He has 48 ODI centuries and 51

Test centuries to his credit.

This is what the film fraternity has to say about Sachin`s big miss:

Amitabh Bachchan: Oh dear! Believe Sachin out on 95! Heartbroken! Ah well another day maybe… We`ll wait. “Correction: out on 94!! Still heartbroken, but full of hope and conviction that he shall get there someday!!

Shirish Kunder: Sachin missed his ton. Sachin missed his ton. The second one was for Pawar whose ears are still ringing.

Arjun Rampal: Oh no Sachin, damn, so close. Wish u that 100 asap.

Gaurav Kapur: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ……… Shit, crap, bloody hell!

Mandira Bedi: It was a beautiful, fluent, sachin-esque 94. Let`s be thankful for those 94 runs!!

Shekhar Kapur: Oh well, next innings. God is just teasing us.

Farhan Akhtar: Sad about sachin getting out on 94 but the Aussie tour now has an added edge to it… And to get it there, will be priceless!!

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Chaudhary Zaka Ashraf has congratulated the Pakistan team and its management over their 4-1 victory in the one-day international series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates. With this win, Pakistan gained a place in the ICC ODI Championship table. Now they stand on fifth place, one ahead of England, which is Pakistan’s best ranking since May 2009. The PCB chief on Thursday called captain Misbahul Haq, coach Mohsin Hasan Khan and manager Naveed Akram Cheema and facilitated them on their commendable performance in both Test and ODI series against the higher ranked Sri Lanka. In a message Zaka said: “Cricket is a passion in Pakistan and everyone prays for the team. The boys have made the nation proud. The credit goes to the hard work of each individual as everyone has contributed in his respective field. I congratulate the team and the whole nation on this occasion. I am confident that if we continue with same spirit and positivity, there are many more milestones to be achieved in future.”

KARACHI:
A Test and One-Day International (ODI) series-win over Sri Lanka has forced the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) three-member coach-hunting committee to seriously consider extending Mohsin Khan’s tenure and changing his interim role as team coach to a full-time one.

Mohsin, the former chief selector, was asked to assist the team on the UAE tour since the PCB could not appoint a head coach to replace Waqar Younis with the change at the board’s helm delaying things further. The committee – comprising Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Col (retd) Naushad Ali – had sent a list of five shortlisted candidates for the position of head coach to the PCB but Mohsin’s term was extended for the tour of Bangladesh that starts from November 29.

“The applications we received were mostly from local coaches along with a few foreign candidates,” a member of the committee confirmed to The Express Tribune. “However, we’re in no rush to name the coach or the team of coaches and we’ll sit down for various discussions before finalising the names.”

CHAKWAL:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan held a rally in Chakwal on Thursday, where he reiterated his party’s message that “change will come” in the next election.

Addressing a gathering of thousands, the PTI chief said that a “tsunami” has arrived which will “reach Karachi, where the future of Pakistan will be decided.” He was referring to the rise in corruption, inflation and violation of human rights in Pakistan.

Khan said old-fashioned politics based on corruption cannot change the fate of a country, and that the youth of Pakistan will be instrumental in bringing about a change.

“Minor office holders have been put behind bars while big fish are protected by the NRO,” he said.

He also said that people will have to fight for their rights to secure a brighter future.

“It is now time to win the Pakistan “World Cup”, said Khan, implying that the country should emerge as a successful nation in the international arena.

Khan also hit out at the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), saying that Shahbaz Sharif should not spend government funds on rallies and should instead use the money to provide water to the people of Chakwal who are facing a shortage.

PTI is planning a rally in Karachi on December 25 near the Mazar-e-Quaid. The party’s goal is to bring out a whopping 200,000 people. Party officials earlier told The Express Tribune that the December 25 rally’s theme will be ‘National Unity’ as Khan wants everyone to participate, above ethnic divides.

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar last hit a century in any form of the game on March 12, 2011 in Nagpur against South Africa in the World Cup. Eight months since, the wait for the landmark 100th ton is still on.

“He should quickly get the monkey off his back,” said former India player Sanjay Manjerakar, who is commentating on the Test series between India and the West Indies.

“It will be good for the team if he plays in the ODI series against West Indies and scores a century because we need a confident Tendulkar for the Australia tour,” he said while talking to compatriot Ravi Shastri at the other end.

“The monkey has grown into a gorilla now,” Shastri retorted in a lighter vein.

“Yes, Sachin will need to get rid of it before he heads for the all important series Down Under. He should at least play in the first three ODIs and complete the milestone.”

“Rampaul to Tendulkar, OUT, 86.2 mph, Don’t whisper a word. The whole world will be able to hear you. Wankhede is stunned into silence. Rampaul spoils the party, Sammy holds the catch at second slip. Rampaul goes on a celebratory run. Short, not too wide, bounces rib-high, Tendulkar wants to punch, but ends up opening the face on it. Sammy takes a sharp catch at second slip. Five Tests ago he had dropped Dravid in the same position for the man to score a match-winning century. Not today. Just a sigh from Tendulkar as he walks back. A slight grimace towards the end of the walk, looks at the crowd, looks at bat. Walks off. he still has 30 more centuries than the next best“

Don’t worry, Tendulkar will get his hundred on Aussie tour. It is good that he didn’t get it here on this highway where even Ashwin could score a hundred. His critiques will say for a lifetime that Tendulkar was made a highway by BCCI against a weak team like WI to get this record. You see Tendulkar didn’t want to do it that way ;)

Tendulkar has been rested for the ODI series, so he won’t play and get a hundred, this makes perfect sense.

He will get four Tests down under, and he has always done well in over there. He will get it there, if not there will be another series, so long as he is making runs and contributing to the team, it doesn’t matter. He is not blocking any talented youngster. Laxman on the other hand should consider Aussie tour as his last, he is a must have for tour down under as he performs well over there and against them. But after that Laxman should call it a day.

Down under, India will be 50/4 and Tendulkar will counter attack with a match winning hundred, this is the perfect plan God has laid out for him, no one can see it now :)

God is also testing mindless fans who chose to worship Tendulkar, showing them he is after all only a mere mortal.

It has been a case of sour grapes. Today, word on blogs is tendkar has scored 99 hundreds, 15 k runs. Hes great, doesnt matter ala bla…
Till yesterday it was all festive and sense of anticipation prevailed. But there’s no hiding from the fact that tendulkar will always be rated as a great batsman who buckled under pressure. Well, lets see what happens in this soap next…

It is 134/5 at the end of 18th over, Chandimal is mulling runs and there have been 2 sui-ci-dull run outs for no reason. Aizaz got another Aizaz of getting Chandimal out but not before the batsman hit him for a 4 on the first ball. So, the sixth SL wicket down, will they be able reach 150? Pakistan should be able to win this match. Tanvir bowled extremely badly 29 runs in 2 overs…….. Wow Cheema got another wicket, two in a over and this time it is PAL, SECAM, NTSC PERERA. And, Wow, Cheema got his 3rd wicket of the over by getting Malinga Salinga out. His figures are 4 overs 4 wickets for 30 runs, excellent.

Misbah should have stopped Cheema in the middle of the 19th i.e., when he took 3 wickets in that over and asked GUL to continue! :D What a Ch2yum Sulphite Waqar is, he has no sense at all. Gul in any case is bowling the 20th over and took a wicket. What else Waqar wants? It is 141/9 now with 3 more balls to be bowled. Gul is on a hatrick now, he just clean BOWLED Fernando…………… so far 6 wickets in 13 balls, Sri Lanka totally mesmerized by MIZBAH :D

To claim that one is biased or unbiased is very subjective and comes down to one’s opinion against the other’s or one’s likes or dislikes against one another person’s.

It’s good to see that you at least and the likes of NewGuy have more balanced views here.

There is no doubt that Misbah lost the semi-final against India due to his infamous slow knock but it doesn’t mean he has made mistakes in every match. Everyone has his shortcomings, Misbah has his. Even someone like Tendulkar is not immune either. Tendulkar has his nervous twitches in the nineties and similarly he realised pretty soon that he is not a captaincy material and that he is just a records accumulator, so he opted out of captaincy after a short stint.

General criticism of Misbah’s every move such as the notion here that he remains not out to improve his averages, if not veering towards biasness, is sheer cynicism to say the least and just criticism for criticism sake. Of the 11 innings in this Sri Lanka series there have been, he has been out in every innings bar one and that was the 4th innings of the drawn third test when he remained not out at a meaningless 9. The insinuation here is that if he is in the team it’s his fault. Whereas the reality is that if the board or selectors chose him to be a ‘stop gap’ captain then that’s not his fault.

If Afridi won the 4th ODI singlehandedly due to his sheer brilliance then in the last ODI Akmal and Misbah partnership was the main reason in winning that match but most here still criticised Misbah.

Praise of Afridi’s innings here in this t20 without even acknowledging Misbah’s contribution is not just being cynical but negating the reality.

A food for thought: Imagine if Afridi was captain here for the ODI’s, then after the fourth ODI guess how many here would have been saying the players had all conspired to bring Afridi down by wanting to loose the match but Afridi had other ideas.

you admit he’s a stop gap capataan whereas others who support meebha dont consider him that. They consider him a TOP NOTCH , FIRST CHOICE CAPTAAN. So in essence you agree to a great extent he’s not fit to be captaan.

Firstly you claim that people’s opinions are subjective and then you appear to adopt an objective approach and claim that some people are biased.

Misbah ul Haq is a mediocre batsman and an overrated captain. The only reason he is being supported apart from “biases” is because of Pakistanis’ obsession with worshipping the rising sun.

Is it a coincidence that most people who like Misbah, dislike Afridi?

If you want to shun your extremely subjective approach and speak about averages and analyse match by match then I request you to read the blog archives and see for yourself how Misbah averages higher than any other batsman in Test draws, and how he always tends to exploit a platform laid by top 3 batsmen in the batting order and takes the credit away, like how he did today.

He has still not won a match single handedly.

Pakistan would have beaten these mediocre teams anyway, Misbah or no Misbah.

You can’t force anyone to acknowledge that Misbah is doing an extraordinary job because under his predecessor’s captaincy Pakistan nearly reached the WC final. The bar for Misbah has been set very highly I am afraid.

Whatever turmoil Pakistan was facing before Misbah’s captaincy, was off the field. The performance on the field has not changed and in fact, Misbah’s captaincy is extremely defensive like his batting.